Florida DOT Must Fix the Deadly I-95 Express Lanes in Miami

The Florida DOT has now created new Express Lanes on I-95 in Miami. Since their installation, these lanes have directly contributed to numerous auto accidents and terrible fatalities. They have claimed far too many lives, and the DOT must take immediate action to protect its citizens.

These new lanes have proven problematic for many reasons, including their size (the Interstate shoulder is now as narrow as a standard parking space) and the lack of effective division between them (the narrow lanes are only separated by plastic orange delineators).

The lanes have also given rise to a new phenomenon known as lane diving, in which high-speed traffic crosses from the Express Lane to the Regular Lane, darting through the delineators and endangering drivers in both lanes.

Consider the following:

There have been more than 17,500 crashes on this specific stretch of I-95 between 2005 and 2014

Total crashes on this section of I-95 has increased over 50% in the past eight years.

In 2014 alone, state troopers made more than 150 arrests for lane diving.

By their own admission, police are reluctant to enforce the laws on I-95 because the traffic conditions are so dangerous there.

At least four people have died as a result of lane diving in Miami during just the last few years. Even more have been injured.

Road crews replace 11 to 15% of the plastic delineators on I-95 every single week. That’s how often cars hit them.

Each delineator is replaced between 6 and 8 times per year, on average.

…These statistics all apply to a single 13-mile stretch of road. No 13 miles should be that dangerous.

The people of Southern Florida know how dangerous these Miami Express Lanes have become. Lane diving is a common complaint. Crashes happen with regularity. Local news reports have made a blistering case against them. And yet the state does nothing — a reflection, no doubt, of the tremendous revenue the state now earns from the Miami Express Lane tolls.

We call on Florida and Miami’s leaders to put people ahead of profits and take immediate action to protect our drivers and our families. Please join us in making this call. Sign our petition today.

This petition is authored by Kaire & Heffernan, LLC, an experienced Miami accident law firm dedicated to fighting for the rights of Florida’s drivers. For inquiries or comments, please contact Kaire & Heffernan, LLC.